1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for manufacturing a cigarette rod as an intermediate product for cigarettes, and more specifically, to a cigarette rod manufacturing apparatus which uses a garniture tape to form the cigarette rod.
2. Description of the Related Art
A cigarette rod manufacturing apparatus comprises a feeder for feeding cut tobacco onto paper which travels in one direction. The paper, thus supplied with the cut tobacco, passes through a shaping tool which is located on the downstream side of the feeder. In this process of passage, the cut tobacco is wrapped in the paper, whereupon a cigarette rod, a continuous semi-finished product for cigarettes, is completed.
As the cigarette rod is manufactured, the paper, having received the cut tobacco, passes through the shaping tool at high speed. Since the paper is soft and liable to tear, it is hard to run the paper by pushing or pulling it and to wrap the cut tobacco in the paper by directly bending the paper itself by means of the shaping tool. An endless fibrous garniture tape is used so that the paper can travel and wrap the cut tobacco therein. The paper is superposed on the garniture tape, and is run together with the tape at a high speed by utilizing a frictional force between them. As the paper, along with the garniture tape, passes through the shaping tool, therefore, it is bent by the shaping tool with the aid of the garniture tape. Thus, the cut tobacco can be wrapped in the paper with stability, and the cylindrical cigarette rod is formed continuously.
That region of the rapidly traveling garniture tape which is in contact with the shaping tool is heated by frictional heat. If the temperature of the garniture tape rises in this manner, moisture in the garniture tape evaporates so that the tape is dried. Thus, the garniture tape deteriorates and becomes liable to snap. If the frequency of snapping of the garniture tape increases, the operation of the cigarette rod manufacturing apparatus is stopped frequently, so that the operating efficiency of the apparatus is lowered.
Recently, the brands of cigarette rods to be manufactured have been changed very often with an increase in cigarette consumption and diversification of consumers' tastes. To cope with this, the cigarette rod manufacturing apparatus is expected to have a greater production capacity. Correspondingly, the traveling speed of the garniture tape is further increased.
If the feed of the garniture tape is additionally speeded up, the frictional heat generated as the tape passes through the shaping tool becomes very intense, so that the temperature of the tape further increases. Accordingly, the garniture tape dries more easily, so that its deterioration is hastened. If the garniture tape is too dry, a sufficient frictional force cannot be produced between the tape and the paper, so that the paper may possibly slip on the tape. In this case, the garniture tape cannot run the paper with stability, so that the formation of the cigarette rod is unstable.